The Last Brunch with Mandy and Ray
One of our constant assigned projects while on summer and winter breaks in elementary school was keeping a vacation journal. Although I enjoyed writing and doodling in my special note books, I would always go for days without writing, and make up for it towards the end by writing several entries at once.
I’m kind of re-living that experience now with this. Part of a reason why I have this blog is to have a justification for my dorky habits, like snapping pictures of food. I have neglected this for a good part of the summer, and I still have loads of pictures that don’t really belong anywhere else but here.
While going through my files, I found these pictures from when Mandy and Ray came over for brunch. I think that was the last time I brunched with them, which I hope to rectify within the next few days. I remember not really wanting to cook that day, so I just made 2 different salads that I make on pretty regular basis, and stir fried vegetables. I also remember that Mandy liked the prosecco mimosa.
Her and Ray’s anniversary is coming up. They got married on Halloween last year. They dressed up as bride and groom, Matt and I dressed up as them. I think that was the first time I dressed up for Halloween, ever, as well as my first attendance at my close friend’s wedding. So, it really was a special day for me. And I guess for them too.
(I will try to provide more recipes, but a lot of times, I never measure anything, and there are not even real ‘steps’, so in that case I’ll just summarize the general idea.)
Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad
*This is my version of coleslaw. I don’t know what to call it
red cabbage and carrots, very thinly sliced
a handful of fresh chopped dill
a handful of raisins
dressing: balsamic vinegar + +lemon juice + minced shallot +olive oil + mustard + honey or maple syrup
as much ground pepper and sea salt as desired
Toss everything and let it sit in room temperature for 20-40 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6.
Cannellini Beans and Watercress Salad
1 can of cannellini or giant white beans
1 bunch of watercress, washed and spinned/drained thoroughly
1 small shallot, sliced
a bit of chopped red onions
lemon dressing: juice of 1 lemon + olive oil
as much ground pepper and sea salt as desired
Toss everything and serve!
Serves 4-6.
Sunday lunch that Matt made while I was on the Master Cleanse
There are certain things that I just never consider in my diet. Fortunately, Matt seems to be happy with the most things I choose to cook, but some of those that I leave out are things that he really likes. Pierogi and okra are prime examples. I like both just fine when done right, especially Matt’s mom’s fried okra, but usually, they’re not on my shopping list.
I’ve recently completed a 10 day master cleanse, and it bothered no one except for the person who is directly affected by my diet choice, Matt. He might like to cook even more than I do, but some how I became the primary cook in our house. Maybe over the years he’s become accustom to having dinner “served” after coming home from work, or maybe he just enjoys sitting in the kitchen table with me, but whatever the reason, he wasn’t so thrilled with my withdrawal from the kitchen. I told him “Now you can make all the stuff that I don’t usually like”, in an attempt to encourage him.
But when he started sautéing chunks of garlic and red onions, it was me who became irritated. He added the fresh kale that we had picked up from the green market, and five-grain tempeh with liquid smoke, and that’s when I almost lost it.
While I was sitting across the dining table sipping my lemonade while my friends enjoy their non-liquid, non-citrus based meals (a.k.a. poison!), they would tell me that they would never be able to do it, even if they wanted to because they enjoyed eating too much. On the contrary, I thought, that’s precisely how I am able to go through with it. Maple syrup is my favorite sweetener. It makes me think of the forests of Vermont and autumn leaves. And lemon is so refreshing. I was on the fast track of Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days, when Matt stated polluting my senses with the deadly delicious scent. Even the pierogis looked tempting, and usually I find them to be too heavy.
In the end, my some what desperate attempt to believe in diet magic prevailed. To settle, I just snapped some pictures, and gave him dirty looks. I stuck to my refreshing lemon drink, although on the last day, I decided that I couldn’t take any more sweet and tart, and resorted to tea and water. Afterward, I did feel a bit lighter, and ready to welcome the feasting season with open arms, which is really, all I really wanted.
Now that I am off the cleanse, Matt, please feel free try to lure me into eating pierogi again.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I heard. I think it’s true. I can’t function without a proper meal in the morning, and Matt’s obsession with fruit shakes is borderline addiction, in all seriousness. (I tried to replace it with misutgaru, and fresh squeezed oj, even, to luck) It’s also one of the reasons why I started this foodlog. Every weekend, we get up at a leisurely time, get the newspaper, and make our breakfast while listening to the radio. The menu is quite consistent (although I will aim to change that), but it’s our special time. And since the light is so nice, I always snap pictures on the table to our company’s annoyance.
We often make pancakes because it really requires no thought. And while it might be enough of a meal for many people, I just can’t consume nothing but simple carbs for breakfast. I need balance.
So now I introduce you to another typical weekend breakfast à la mode de chez nous.
That’s right. Irregular shaped pancakes, and orange & green things, my favorite!
For the yams, or any other potatoes, chopping evenly and putting them in the oven with some olive oil and s&p produces the most visually appealing things of this sort in my opinion. But that takes more time and effort than I am willing to give. So after chopping, I just through them in a pot of boiling water with some salt. This time I boiled them a little longer than usual so that it becomes really soft, almost like mashed potatoes. When it’s done, I cool it, and then sautée in a pan already heated with some garlic and oil. Add some kale, or collard greens until they’re cooked, season with salt and ground pepper.
The pancake mix can be prepared while the potatoes are boiling. This is the formula that I use for pancakes: 1 part flour + a dash of salt and a tsp of baking soda, and 1 part water plus a tsp of vinegar, 1 mashed banana, 1 tsp of sugar. But really, all you need to remember is 1 part flour, 1 part liquid, wet over dry, and whisk. Also, baking soda’s important. Without it, you won’t get pancakes, but strange mediocre crêpes of sort.
Pour it to the size you’d like in a oiled pan on medium-high heat. If you want, this would be the time to drop some fruits, or chocolate chips on the pancake. Keep the pan oiled, and try not to burn it.
Now we’re ready to get on with our lives.
The Last Brunch with Mandy and Ray
One of our constant assigned projects while on summer and winter breaks in elementary school was keeping a vacation journal. Although I enjoyed writing and doodling in my special note books, I would always go for days without writing, and make up for it towards the end by writing several entries at once.
I’m kind of re-living that experience now with this. Part of a reason why I have this blog is to have a justification for my dorky habits, like snapping pictures of food. I have neglected this for a good part of the summer, and I still have loads of pictures that don’t really belong anywhere else but here.
While going through my files, I found these pictures from when Mandy and Ray came over for brunch. I think that was the last time I brunched with them, which I hope to rectify within the next few days. I remember not really wanting to cook that day, so I just made 2 different salads that I make on pretty regular basis, and stir fried vegetables. I also remember that Mandy liked the prosecco mimosa.
Her and Ray’s anniversary is coming up. They got married on Halloween last year. They dressed up as bride and groom, Matt and I dressed up as them. I think that was the first time I dressed up for Halloween, ever, as well as my first attendance at my close friend’s wedding. So, it really was a special day for me. And I guess for them too.
(I will try to provide more recipes, but a lot of times, I never measure anything, and there are not even real ‘steps’, so in that case I’ll just summarize the general idea.)
Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad
*This is my version of coleslaw. I don’t know what to call it
red cabbage and carrots, very thinly sliced
a handful of fresh chopped dill
a handful of raisins
dressing: balsamic vinegar + +lemon juice + minced shallot +olive oil + mustard + honey or maple syrup
as much ground pepper and sea salt as desired
Toss everything and let it sit in room temperature for 20-40 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6.
Cannellini Beans and Watercress Salad
1 can of cannellini or giant white beans
1 bunch of watercress, washed and spinned/drained thoroughly
1 small shallot, sliced
a bit of chopped red onions
lemon dressing: juice of 1 lemon + olive oil
as much ground pepper and sea salt as desired
Toss everything and serve!
Serves 4-6.
Sunday lunch that Matt made while I was on the Master Cleanse
There are certain things that I just never consider in my diet. Fortunately, Matt seems to be happy with the most things I choose to cook, but some of those that I leave out are things that he really likes. Pierogi and okra are prime examples. I like both just fine when done right, especially Matt’s mom’s fried okra, but usually, they’re not on my shopping list.
I’ve recently completed a 10 day master cleanse, and it bothered no one except for the person who is directly affected by my diet choice, Matt. He might like to cook even more than I do, but some how I became the primary cook in our house. Maybe over the years he’s become accustom to having dinner “served” after coming home from work, or maybe he just enjoys sitting in the kitchen table with me, but whatever the reason, he wasn’t so thrilled with my withdrawal from the kitchen. I told him “Now you can make all the stuff that I don’t usually like”, in an attempt to encourage him.
But when he started sautéing chunks of garlic and red onions, it was me who became irritated. He added the fresh kale that we had picked up from the green market, and five-grain tempeh with liquid smoke, and that’s when I almost lost it.
While I was sitting across the dining table sipping my lemonade while my friends enjoy their non-liquid, non-citrus based meals (a.k.a. poison!), they would tell me that they would never be able to do it, even if they wanted to because they enjoyed eating too much. On the contrary, I thought, that’s precisely how I am able to go through with it. Maple syrup is my favorite sweetener. It makes me think of the forests of Vermont and autumn leaves. And lemon is so refreshing. I was on the fast track of Lose Weight, Have More Energy, & Be Happier in 10 Days, when Matt stated polluting my senses with the deadly delicious scent. Even the pierogis looked tempting, and usually I find them to be too heavy.
In the end, my some what desperate attempt to believe in diet magic prevailed. To settle, I just snapped some pictures, and gave him dirty looks. I stuck to my refreshing lemon drink, although on the last day, I decided that I couldn’t take any more sweet and tart, and resorted to tea and water. Afterward, I did feel a bit lighter, and ready to welcome the feasting season with open arms, which is really, all I really wanted.
Now that I am off the cleanse, Matt, please feel free try to lure me into eating pierogi again.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I heard. I think it’s true. I can’t function without a proper meal in the morning, and Matt’s obsession with fruit shakes is borderline addiction, in all seriousness. (I tried to replace it with misutgaru, and fresh squeezed oj, even, to luck) It’s also one of the reasons why I started this foodlog. Every weekend, we get up at a leisurely time, get the newspaper, and make our breakfast while listening to the radio. The menu is quite consistent (although I will aim to change that), but it’s our special time. And since the light is so nice, I always snap pictures on the table to our company’s annoyance.
We often make pancakes because it really requires no thought. And while it might be enough of a meal for many people, I just can’t consume nothing but simple carbs for breakfast. I need balance.
So now I introduce you to another typical weekend breakfast à la mode de chez nous.
That’s right. Irregular shaped pancakes, and orange & green things, my favorite!
For the yams, or any other potatoes, chopping evenly and putting them in the oven with some olive oil and s&p produces the most visually appealing things of this sort in my opinion. But that takes more time and effort than I am willing to give. So after chopping, I just through them in a pot of boiling water with some salt. This time I boiled them a little longer than usual so that it becomes really soft, almost like mashed potatoes. When it’s done, I cool it, and then sautée in a pan already heated with some garlic and oil. Add some kale, or collard greens until they’re cooked, season with salt and ground pepper.
The pancake mix can be prepared while the potatoes are boiling. This is the formula that I use for pancakes: 1 part flour + a dash of salt and a tsp of baking soda, and 1 part water plus a tsp of vinegar, 1 mashed banana, 1 tsp of sugar. But really, all you need to remember is 1 part flour, 1 part liquid, wet over dry, and whisk. Also, baking soda’s important. Without it, you won’t get pancakes, but strange mediocre crêpes of sort.
Pour it to the size you’d like in a oiled pan on medium-high heat. If you want, this would be the time to drop some fruits, or chocolate chips on the pancake. Keep the pan oiled, and try not to burn it.
Now we’re ready to get on with our lives.
